After the Kalkara
by OakleafHeron
Summary: A short conversation between Will and Halt that takes place soon after they defeat the Kalkara.


**Sorry that I've been really quiet lately! If any of you are wondering what happened to my other fanfic...well...um...I kinda lost track of where I was after exams, and I haven't been able to get inspiration since...**

 **The only reason why I've written this is because of a task in English that we had to do. Basically, we had to choose a book to read for the term, then we have to either write a book review, or write about a conversation between some of the characters, or something else that happens to them outside the book.**

 **This little conversation takes place between the end of chapter thirty and the beginning of chapter thirty one in the Ruins of Gorlan, just after the Kalkara got defeated.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please review!**

The moon was high in the sky, and the clouds cast shadows that quickly glided from place to place. The charred remains of a large bonfire remained among the ruins of Castle Gorlan. Splinters of wood were next to one of the walls, and singed hairs were strewn about. The calls of nocturnal animals occasionally erupted from random corners of the forest. In the centre of it all, there was a smaller fire, the embers still crackling, and three sleeping figures. A little way off, a small boy lay among the rubble, completely invisible to anybody who might be watching.

Will rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he continued to remain on guard. His ears registered every rustle of grass, and snap of a twig, and every cry of the owls that roamed the night. Under the shadow of the cowl of his cloak, he flicked his eyes back to the left again, and scanned the surrounding forest. His thoughts began to wander off, running through the events that had happened just a mere hours before. His mentor had come so close to death's door, thanks to Morgarath, the Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, former baron of Gorlan, a fief long lost. He had sent the Kalkara after Halt. The creatures were the last two of their kind, a cross between an ape and a bear that walked upright. They had thick, matted hair that covered their bodies like armor, so that an arrow could not pierce through. They absolutely worshipped silver, and Morgarath had given them plenty of it, in exchange for their services. Of course, Morgarath couldn't resist using them against Halt. The grey-bearded Ranger had a reputation for foiling his plans.

He remembered the first of the two Kalkara erupting in flames with an eerie screech before his eyes. He remembered seeing Halt, his mentor, being chased by the first creature's brother. The utter helplessness he had felt as Halt had been knocked unconscious, and Baron Arald of Redmont had been wounded. The horror of watching Sir Rodney, the Battlemaster, subdued by the Kalkara's terror-striking gaze. Then he remembered the ray of hope that he had, as he remembered the creature's weakness of fire. The thrill as he prepared a fire arrow. The intense satisfaction and relief as the arrow struck the beast, as Halt, the Baron, and the Battlemaster were helpless before the Kalkara, awaiting their deaths.

He almost gave a start as he heard a low moan from the trio huddled around the fire, but managed to check the movement in time. Curious, he cautiously stood up and approached them. One of them was moving. As he came closer, he saw that Halt was awake, and he began to hurry his approach to the camp site. He frowned as he saw Halt rub his leg, then stumble slightly.

"Halt!" he whispered, "Are you alright? You should leave that leg of yours for a bit."

"I know," Halt replied irritably, picking at the bandage neatly bound around the point on his leg where one of the Kalkara had clawed him. The grim man took a quick glance around him before adding, "Has Gilan arrived yet? And shouldn't you be on watch?"

Will made a negative gesture. Gilan was Halt's former apprentice. He was relatively tall for a Ranger, and his horse, Blaze, was much the same. They had left him behind to make his way to the Ruins of Gorlan on foot, as Will had needed to borrow Blaze.

"Gilan hasn't come yet," Will said, turning his gaze towards the treeline, as if the taller Ranger would appear suddenly. "I hope he's alright," he added.

"Gilan will be fine. He's perfectly capable of handling himself. Now answer my other question." Halt said.

"I guess I should be on watch," Will nervously answered. "But I wanted to see how you were doing, because I heard you moaning."

For a moment, Halt's face softened. He was grateful that Will couldn't see it in the dark. But he hastily rearranged his features, just in case. "Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine."

Will hesitated a bit, shifting a little from foot to foot. "Are you sure though? You usually don't wake up in the middle of the night for no reason, so that leg of yours must be hurting a great deal."

"As I said, I will be fine," Halt said crisply, trying to keep any weakness out of his voice. He was fully aware that no one was guarding camp at that moment, and he knew that it was important that Will got back to his post quickly. "I only woke up because I thought I heard something. Now you had better get back to keeping watch."

His apprentice gave a nervous smile. "If you're sure."

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go!" he hissed as he made a shooing motion with his hands before taking a seat by the dying embers of the fire again. He watched as Will slid back into the night, moving with the dancing shadows, and soon, his tired eyes were having trouble seeing where he was. As he lost sight of his apprentice, he realised how grateful he was that Will was around. After the fight, when he had woken up, Sir Rodney had told him how Will had saved all of their lives. Halt admired Will's courage deeply, although he would never tell him that, of course, at least not while he was in charge of him. That would be too much ego-stroking, especially since Baron Arald was probably going to plan something big already. It would never do to let his apprentice get a swollen head. He attempted one last time to pinpoint Will's vantage point, but it seemed that he taught his apprentice too well. He shrugged and stretched out on the ground and rolled back into his cloak, preparatory to sleeping, when he saw a flash of movement near some of the rubble of the ruins. He shook his head slightly as he realised that his earlier statement was proved false. His apprentice still had much to learn, and many more years of hard work lay ahead of him after he graduated. Being a Ranger wasn't easy. But he was certain Will could handle it. With that thought, he drifted back to sleep.


End file.
